Research has consistently demonstrated that literacy skills are associated with a host of benefits that are both substantial and long lasting. Given the implications of reading skill development, efforts to understand the most effective methods of teaching students how to read are consequential. Fortunately, substantial research has been conducted…

This paper aims to offer a "fresh look" and to provide some further insights on teaching basic language skills with literature and composition-based "whole" language arts programs (this could include the Core Knowledge Foundation's literature), and on the time and attention this combination deserves in primary-level classrooms.…

The article describes how to teach skills strategically in whole-language classrooms. It discusses differences between skills and strategies and notes how to move from skill to strategy. A section on teaching phonics examines phonics charts and personal phonics booklets; suggests an order for teaching phonics. (SM)

"Phonics with Feeling" is a teacher-written phonics-based literature series promoting student self esteem and self expression. The 4- to 6-week project has been used with first and second grade students for 2 years. "Phonics with Feeling" is a series of four books, each reinforcing a specific phonetic skill while integrating…

The understanding of "what works" in reading is dynamic and fluid, subject to ongoing review and assessment through serious research. While there are no easy answers or quick solutions for optimizing reading achievement, an extensive knowledge base now exists to show people the skills children must learn in order to read well. This guide, designed…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook presents two- and three-letter blends. Each consonant blend is taught in a lesson of one to three pages. The pages provide practice in recognizing the blend sound in a word using picture clues, using a blend to complete words, and choosing…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook presents initial consonant sounds in order of difficulty. The lesson for each sound is four pages in length. The first page consists of an illustration showing familiar objects; students are asked to circle the objects whose names begin…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook is a follow-up to "Initial Consonants." The first part of the workbook provides practice for consonants at the end of words. Most letters are given a four-page lesson. On the first page, students are asked to look at pictures, name them,…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook presents the most common and regular sounds of vowels. The short vowels are presented first. The lesson for each vowel consists of six pages of exercises. On the first page, the vowel sound is introduced by a cartoon. On the second and…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook presents the irregular vowel sounds, including the vowel diphthongs, the r-controlled vowels, and other irregular vowel combinations. Each vowel or combination is presented in a lesson of two to six pages, depending on its perceived…

These 57 game cards were developed to help teachers build their resource files for word-attack skills. Cards are keyed to skills suggested by the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development and are color-coded according to their appropriateness for children in kindergarten through grade three. The front of each card gives the name of the skill,…

A study examined hierarchical relationships among three developmental components of reading ability in grades 1 through 3. It was predicted that semantic skills develop initially, followed by letter identification skills, phonological skills, and visual skills. Reading ability was assessed with a word identification task. The semantic components…

This book is a hands-on activity resource for kindergarten and first grade that makes phonics instruction easy and fun for teachers and children in the classroom. The book offers methods for practice, reinforcement, and assessment of phonetic skills using a poem as a foundation for teaching short vowels. The poem is duplicated so children can work…

Intended for teachers of kindergarten and first grade, this book offers hands-on activities that make phonics instruction easy and fun for teachers and children in the classroom. The book provides methods for practice, reinforcement, and assessment of phonics skills. A poem is used to introduce the phonics element of this book, rhyming words. The…

The reading exercises in this workbook cover the general areas of basic phonics; word structure (including compound words, base words, prefixes and suffixes, contractions, possessives, and syllables); vocabulary (including word recognition, rhyming words, and word meaning); study skills (including following directions, alphabetizing, and reading a…